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I am terribly sorry for the lateness guys. I know I promised everyone Tuesday for this entire post but my little guy's been sick as a dog with an awful flu bug and with the wife being pregnant, daddy had to step up a little bit. I'm just hoping I don't catch whatever he had. This is the first time I've been at a computer in a day or so and thus I don't have the entire interesting conversation finished yet but because everyone has been chomping so hard at the bit to see this on our forum here, I've decided to release the first 3 parts of this year's "Interesting Conversation" for all to view. I'm hoping to have the entire thing finished by tomorrow and posted for full view/discussion but in the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the shortened Volume I.

2013 "Interesting Conversation"

1. I started this year's conversation at the only logical starting point IMO. 2012 wasn’t quite the year we were expecting was it? “No it wasn’t” came a quick reply. “I think a lot of people were shocked at the lack of progress from a bunch of the players. Even if the wins weren’t there, I don’t think anyone in the building thought the play of a lot of individuals would have been what it was. A lot of disappointment in that.” Anyone in particular I asked? “Quite a few”. Come on now, feed us something. This is supposed to be an interesting conversation, not a man talking to a wall. ”Well (He paused for a while), John (Skelton). Definitely John.” No surprise there IMHO, I think we all knew Skelton’s regression this season was a bitter disappointment but how about some of the guys that don’t immediately come to mind? "Adrian (Wilson)." Again, no real surprise to me. Give us something man...“Daryn (Colledge)”. Daryn Colledge, really? “Yes". That does kind of surprise me. Why the disappointment in a man who is IMO our best offensive lineman? "The physicality just wasn’t there the way it was last season. He seemed like a different player. He wasn’t the physical, emotional guy that we needed to have on the field and in the locker room. There were a lot of people disappointed in what Daryn gave to this team this past season”. That kinda shocks me as I truly feel Colledge is a league average player who can help this offensive line and this football team and he always seemed like a good guy when he came across in the media but if that’s what the front office thinks, that’s what they think. What are the odds these three players are on the outs? “I don’t know. It’ll be discussed more in the next few weeks” was all he could muster, unfortunately. I pressed him about Adrian's status and all he could say was "We'll see". Not a great start....

2. I followed up that question with something that hit particularly close to home for my buddy, his employment with the Arizona Cardinals. Did he ever get the feeling he wasn't going to be a part of this organization, "Oh yes" he said with an honest to goodness laugh. "Maybe paranoia took over but I thought for a while it was over. You know this already but I was seriously thinking on that job with Phoenix (My buddy was for a time entertaining a senior executive/front office position with the Phoenix Coyotes). Steve told me he wasn't letting me go but I knew he was marketing himself to other teams and I didn’t want to pack up and move everybody because someone not named (My buddy’s name) wanted to play “the game”. Jason (Licht) and I are close and I think he’s a great man but we're not married to each other. Then I heard the report about Andy Reid and a couple of friends in the building at the time told me Mike was having discussions about Tom Heckert and I… I did, I panicked. I actually thought 'this is it, I need to start looking for another job'. Luckily it all worked out". So.....Heckert was discussed huh? A lot of people reported he wasn't. Somers said he wasn't. "I was told he was. Maybe it was just a short discussion. I don't know and I don't want to know. I wish him well". My buddy did get a little emotional during this portion, I could tell in his voice and I completely understand (I didn't type up a lot of the talk we had about this topic for this reason). He and I have been close friends and Cardinals fans our whole lives. Going to UA and working for the Cards had/has been his dream all his life. I think I speak for everyone here when I say I'm damn glad he's still living that dream.

3. The two of us had lots of time for lots of questions and I knew it, so I dove right into what I thought was the most important topic for this type of talk. I, like many other Cardinals fans, was shocked and saddened to see the way the whole Ray Horton situation was handled. I want, scratch that, WE NEED to know what happened. Why isn’t Ray Horton this team’s head coach right now? “It wasn’t just one thing, you know? It was a combination of things”. Uh…no, I don’t know. You need to tell me why he’s not our head coach right now because I damn sure don’t know, you know? “Inexperience was a big part of it. You’ve got to remember, he’s only been a coordinator for 2 seasons. There’s a lot that Ray still hasn’t encountered yet as a coach in this league. His staff was a big part of it”. I stopped him mid-sentence and called BS. Ray said Norv and Mike Tice were in the bag, he was adamant about it. Ray’s not a liar. “I’m not saying he’s a liar but Norv Turner wasn’t a name he gave Michael and Steve during his initial interview, that came later. Ray flip-flopped on the coaching staff. First he wanted this guy, and then a week later he wanted another guy, then another guy. A lot of people thought he was too wishy-washy on what he wanted to put together. It had an odd feeling to it is what I was told.” I don’t know, I guess that does make a little sense. I can see the hesitancy there personally, to go with a guy who changes his mind every other day. I honestly do get that. Now, it was reported that Keim and Horton had a major blow up. Horton denied it on Jurecki's radio show but Jurecki was adamant before that it happened. What say you? Yes, it happened” he said with a sort of down trotten reply. “Steve let his emotions get the best of him, which happens from time to time but Ray lost his temper and a little professionalism too. Ray said a lot of things he wishes now he wouldn’t have said”. What exactly did he say? “I told you before, there’s no need to get back into the whole thing” (What my buddy had sort of told me before was that Horton called Keim quote “A lying P.O.S.” but that was all he said). That's kinda weak man but whatever. Can you at least tell us what triggered it? I mean, if it was really as bad as you say it was, something had to have happened to set this whole thing off. “What I was told was Ray's agent called Mike (Bidwill) and told him Ray was given the impression that if Mike McCoy was not hired as the team’s head coach that the job would be Ray's. Mike asked Steve about this so-called agreement and Steve told him no such arrangement was in place. Steve and Ray agreed to meet and hash out what Steve called then a 'misunderstanding'. I heard it got pretty tense right away”. Wow. Not a real shock after the reports we'd heard leading up to this but it's still honestly a little crazy, especially now that I've heard it confirmed like this. Off the record, purely your opinion, was such an agreement in place? Purely your opinion. ”I REALLY couldn’t say, I wasn’t there” was the only reply I got. Cop out answer if I’ve ever heard one but I pressed him and pressed him and he wouldn’t offer anything up. A sad, all-too-early end to the Ray Horton era IMO but there it is.

Not a whole lot surprised with Daryn name coming up as unimpressive. Going back and watching the second half of the season on the All-22 he was consistently going backwards in the running game. It made it almost impossible for us to run to the left late season with Potter and Colledge there.

I actually "called out" indirectly Daryn about it on Twitter, he basically said "Always things we can improve on". Physicality on the interior of the offensive line is huge in creating holes to run the football. You lose the battle at the point of attack inside and you are not going anywhere on the ground.

Happy for your buddy that he is still "living the dream" but he is also very lucky to be in a place where he would have been able to land on his feet if things did go pear shaped. Obviously very much a product of hard work and dedication.

Quote:

“I’m not saying he’s a liar but Norv Turner wasn’t a name he gave Michael and Steve during his initial interview, that came later. Ray flip-flopped on the coaching staff. First he wanted this guy, and then a week later he wanted another guy, then another guy. A lot of people thought he was too wishy-washy on what he wanted to put together. It had an odd feeling to it is what I was told.”

Seems like Ray could have got Norv, but initially was not ready to use that name, or maybe initially didn't want to have to use that name.

What I get from this is that it seems Ray had never really fully evaluated who he wanted to be on his coaching staff with him and it led to indecision, it led to flip-flopping and it led to Ray having no courage or conviction in his choices.

Am I OK with Ray not being here; heck no, but it seems like Ray made a lot of rookie mistakes that hurt him. He will learn, he will get there, sadly it will not be with us.

I think the team is going to continue to look to reduce Adrian's role, I think he wants to be here, and the team wants him here, just not as a starting safety, and not at his current price. Daryn is interesting, and John, well, his fit in the Arians style of offense might save him for a roster spot, but he is going to have to really, really work to keep that._________________

I think the team is going to continue to look to reduce Adrian's role, I think he wants to be here, and the team wants him here, just not as a starting safety, and not at his current price. Daryn is interesting, and John, well, his fit in the Arians style of offense might save him for a roster spot, but he is going to have to really, really work to keep that.

Interesting indeed to see Colledge mentioned. Makes me wonder about his future and with all the talk lately from coaching staff about naming tackles by name but not mentioning the interior.... makes me think we could see a Warmack pick or some interior OL picks early in the draft._________________

DJ_FkaJoined: 13 Jan 2009Posts: 5925Location: Brisvegas, Land Down Under

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:06 am Post subject:

Can sympathize with the sick kid champ, hope he gets better.

Nice first chat.

Didnt know College was thought of that badly, interesting, no matter what I still think he is here come opening day.

Also, the more I think about it, the more the hype got us excited about Mr Horton, when you take a step back and think about it, it makes sense, only a DC for 2 years, no other real experience, maybe Arians is a better choice, only time will tell, Ray will be better for it anyway, maybe he can come back in a few years, when Arians is like 90.

Didnt know College was thought of that badly, interesting, no matter what I still think he is here come opening day.

Also, the more I think about it, the more the hype got us excited about Mr Horton, when you take a step back and think about it, it makes sense, only a DC for 2 years, no other real experience, maybe Arians is a better choice, only time will tell, Ray will be better for it anyway, maybe he can come back in a few years, when Arians is like 90.